Master the conjugation of regular verbs in Portuguese. Learn patterns, examples and exercises to speak clearly. Practice with quick activities.

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The verb organizes the action, state, or process expressed in the sentence and agrees with the subject in person and number. In Portuguese, it can also require a direct object, indirect object, or none, depending on government. Additionally, the verb appears in finite and non-finite forms, which allow constructing simple sentences and verbal phrases.

The direct transitive verb takes a complement without a preposition, as happens with Transitive and Intransitive verbs. The indirect transitive verb requires a preposition before the complement. The intransitive verb does not require a verbal complement to complete the meaning.

IdeiaIdeaExemploExample
🎯Verbo transitivo diretoDirect transitive verb🎵Eu amo a música.I love the music.
🧭Verbo transitivo indiretoIndirect transitive verb☕Eu gosto de café.I like coffee.
🚶Verbo intransitivoIntransitive verb⏰Ela chegou cedo.She arrived early.

Pronominal verbs appear with an unstressed pronoun and tend to form a fixed unit of meaning. In forms such as levantar-se and lembrar-se, the pronoun is part of the verbal construction and does not function as a regular object. This behavior relates to the study of Transitive and Intransitive verbs, because the presence of the pronoun alters the structure of the verb.

IdeiaIdeaExemploExample
🔁Verbo pronominalPronominal verb🌅Ele se levantou cedo.He got up early.
🪞Verbo reflexivoReflexive verb🧠Ela se lembrou do nome.She remembered the name.
🧷Pronome obrigatórioMandatory pronoun✨O verbo se apresenta com pronome.The verb comes with a pronoun.

Regular verbs ending in -ar follow a stable pattern in the present indicative. The personal ending changes, but the stem remains the same throughout the entire conjugation. The verb falar is the most frequent model of this group and helps recognize the entire family of forms.

PessoaPersonVerboVerbExemploExample
EuI🗣️faloI say🌤️Eu falo com calma.I speak calmly.
TuYou🧑falasyou speak🐢Tu falas devagar.You speak slowly.
Ele elaHe/she💬falaHe/she says🌟Ela fala muito bem.She speaks very well.
NósWe👥falamosWe speak🇵🇹Nós falamos português.We speak Portuguese.
Eles elasThey📣falamThey speak🔊Eles falam alto.They speak loudly.

Regular verbs ending in -er form the present indicative with the same personal endings as the regular paradigm. The verb comer serves as a model for recognizing the sequence of inflections in this group. The stem remains stable, and the verb ending marks the grammatical person.

PessoaPersonVerboVerbExemploExample
EuI🍽️comoHow🕒Eu como cedo.I eat early.
TuYou🍏comesyou eat🍎Tu comes fruta.You eat fruit.
Ele elaHe/she🥄comeEats✅Ela come bem.She eats well.
NósWe🍲comemosWe eat👨‍👩‍👧Nós comemos juntos.We eat together.
Eles elasThey🥐comemthey eat🥖Eles comem pão.They eat bread.

Regular verbs ending in er follow their own pattern in the present indicative. The verb partir serves as a productive model for this conjugation. This paradigm is essential for recognizing regular forms and also for distinguishing related irregular verbs.

PessoaPersonVerboVerbExemploExample
EuI✈️partoI leave📅Eu parto amanhã.I am leaving tomorrow.
TuYou🎒partesparts🌄Tu partes cedo.You leave early.
Ele elaHe/she🚪partehe/she leaves⏳Ele parte já.He leaves now.
NósWe🧳partimosWe left🤝Nós partimos juntos.We left together.
Eles elasThey🚆partemthey leave🚉Eles partem agora.They leave now.

Non-finite forms do not mark grammatical person and are used to form compound tenses, progressive aspects, and verbal phrases, as seen in Verbal Infinitives, Verbal Gerund, and Verbal Participles. The infinitive ends in -ar, -er or -ir, the gerund ends in -ando, -endo or -indo, and the regular participle ends in -ado or -ido. In Portuguese, the use of the gerund is more frequent in Brazil, while the personal infinitive appears more in European Portuguese and in formal registers.

IdeiaIdeaExemploExample
📘InfinitivoInfinitive🧩falar, comer, partirto speak, to eat, to leave
⏳GerúndioGerund🌊falando, comendo, partindospeaking, eating, leaving
📎ParticípioParticiple📚falado, comido, partidospoken, eaten, left

Verbal phrases join an auxiliary verb to a non-finite form to express time, aspect, or intention, as explained in Verbal Phrases. With estar and gerund, the construction indicates ongoing action. With ter or haver and participle, the compound tense is formed; with ir and infinitive, the near future is indicated.

IdeiaIdeaExemploExample
🕰️Estar + gerúndioEstar + gerund📖Estou lendo um livro.I am reading a book.
📦Ter + particípioTer + participle💬Tenho falado com ela.I have spoken to her.
🚀Ir + infinitivoIr + infinitive🌙Vou estudar à noite.I will study at night.

Auxiliary verbs sustain the structure of compound tenses and periphrastic constructions, especially ter, haver, ser and estar, as detailed in Auxiliary Verbs. In these constructions, the main value of tense, aspect, or voice depends on the combination of the auxiliary and the non-finite form. Therefore, the auxiliary almost never carries the full sense of the action by itself.

IdeiaIdeaExemploExample
🧰TerTo have🕘Tenho terminado cedo.I have finished early.
🗂️HaverTo have🔔Havia muitos sons.There were many sounds.
🌿EstarTo be🌧️Estava chovendo forte.It was raining heavily.

Modal and periphrastic verbs, such as poder and dever, combine with the infinitive to express possibility, obligation, or hypothesis. This behavior is central in Modal Verbs, and it also appears in causative structures close to Causative Verbs. The modal verb does not replace the main action, but adds semantic value to the non-finite form that accompanies it.

IdeiaIdeaExemploExample
🔓Poder + infinitivoPoder + infinitive🕒Posso sair mais cedo.I can leave earlier.
📌Dever + infinitivoDever + infinitive📚Devo estudar hoje.I must study today.
🎭Valor modalModal value✨A forma principal continua no infinitivo.The main form remains in the infinitive.

Some participles deviate from the ado and ido pattern and must be memorized as traditional forms. Among the most frequent are feito, visto, and dito, which appear with great naturalness in formal Portuguese and in everyday speech. Mastery of these forms prepares the study of Verbal Participles and helps recognize combinations with auxiliaries.

VerboVerbParticípioParticipleExemploExample
🛠️fazerTo do✅feitoDone🧾O trabalho foi feito.The work was done.
👀verTo see👓vistoSeen🔍Tudo foi visto.Everything was seen.
🗨️dizerTo say💬ditoSaid📣Isso foi dito antes.That was said before.

Regular verbs provide the basic model for understanding how Portuguese distributes the root, endings, non-finite forms, and periphrastic constructions. From the paradigms in -ar, -er and -ir, it becomes easier to recognize how auxiliaries, modals, and participles work. This knowledge is indispensable for confidently advancing in the study of Irregular Verbs.

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Last updated: Mon Jun 1, 2026, 3:45 AM